Multichamber pneumatic tire



June 9, 1953 J. B. DES RoslERs 2,541,295

- MULTICHAMBER PNEUMATIC TIRE Filed April 21, 1949 95 /oa l /O v l y l 'j Y f JNVENTOR.

Y ToZzzLB'ZeszEnsez's Patented June 9, 1953 UNITE-D STATE-S PATENT OFFICE `IVIU'L'JlICIIAL'IBE'R- PNEUMATIC TIRE yJohn B. .Des Rosiers, Providence, R. I.v

Application Aprill, 1949,'Se1ial N 0. 88,7 05

4 Claims.v (Cl. y2152---4-339) My 4inrenticm relates to mprovernentsin multi? chamberpneumatic tires andthe combination of such a tire with a wheel, having the and other tireattaching parts vthereof modified to firmly attach the tire thereto.

Iam aware that others have provided many types of multichainber tires, but have. always provided flexible partition walls between the annular multichambers thereof. Thegi'eat .difficulty with these has been that 'when one chainu ber collapses, nature-attempts to fill the vacuum with the nearest air present, which is the air in the opposite unpunctured -or uncollapsed chamber, 'which tends y to expand to fill the vacuum, and in accordance with Boyles law, Where two chambers `vare employed, doublesv the volume of one heini-cylindrical chamberto a completely cylindrical `chamber ycorrespondingly reducing the pressure. Thus, if a two lchamber tire is provided and bothchainbers beinilated toa pressure or. 32 pounds, when the second chamber collapsesy the expansion oi` air in the first chamber Will bend over the flexible wallto cause the air in the iirst chamber to fillfup the whole tir-e, thereby doubling its voluine` so that its pressure Wiil lie-reduced substantially to `half that amount, namely, 16 pounds, an amount insutil-cient to support 'the vehicle on the tire use, providing a pressure very `close lto atmospheric.

My invention contemplates the provision yof a'central partition wall which is rigid throughout at least the lower portion thereof to greatly lessen'theltencency of the air in the non-col-A lapsed chamberr `to expand and increase its volume appreoiably, thereby lowering its press-ure to ar dangerous amount. In other Words, Tprovidelatire in which even if one chamber be collapsed, the other chamber will have enough air in it at suicient pressure to at-all times support the vehicle so as to obviate the danger of blow-outs completely collapsing the tire and possibly Wrecking the lvehicle and preventing the collapsed tire from coming oi the rim, andproriding atleast a sufficient support in the tire so that themotor vehiclemay be driven to the nearest garage for changing the tire.

Clbjects of my invention, therefore, are to' provide a tire in which the danger inherent in blowouts in present day tires is substantially eluninatedand a tire in which even if abloW-out should occur, the tire itself will, not become Ydarnaged or ruined while bringing the vehicle toa' stop;

A further feature of my `inwzntion resides in the kfact that .I preferably so kesterni `the, center partition wall'of the tire below the end Walls thereof, or so otherwise modify the lower portion o the center partition wall and adjoining por-` tion of the wheel rim, that the lower end of the center wall. will be positively locked in position at all times, even if one of its respective chambers has become collapsed.

A iurtherobject oi my invention is to eliminate the necessity of jacking up a car on the road in order to change the tireiafter a blow-out or puncture.

A further object of my invention is to localize the pressure brought on the tire on passing'over a stone, irregularity in the road or other abutment, to the area of Contact, and .not distribute the shock throughout the'entre tire, to cause a recirculation of air throughout the entire tire,

and to `thereby lessen the heat generated, provide-cooler `riding qualities in the tire and the generation of a lesser :amount of heat to cause deterioration of the rubber, my invention thus maintaining a cool tire in use.

These and such other objects for .my invention f as may hereinafter appear will be best understood from a descriptiony of the accompanying drawings which illustrate embodiments thereof.

nthe drawings,

Fig. l isa vertical sectional view'thiough a tireand `vehicle Wheel constructed inaccord1 ance with' one embodiment of my intention.

Fig. 2 isa vertical sectional view through atire and. Wheel constructed in accordance with another embodiment of my invention.y

Fig-3 is -a;.side elevation of the locking rim e'xiiployed` in'thevembodiment of my invention shown in Fig; 2;

In the drawings, Whereinlilie characters of reference generally indicate like parts tbroughout, Milano lil generally vindicate embodiments of `vehicle Vwheels :constructed in: aceodance with my invention.y

In. .the embodiments shown, each wheel `oomprisesa standard type of cylindrical tire; i2 or 4?. modified in accordance with my invention, a -cliscwheel Mor lll*y havingathe rim it or lo' suitably modified in the manner `to be explained. For thispiurpose1 the rim `isprovided with suit able annularglocliing means it or it for the lower end of .the tire center wail...

My vimpfen/,ed tire i2 comprises au annular cylindrical casing or sli-ce2?! orZJi having arouateside walls 2t or 2li terminating in iiat rim abutting lower en -ds 25er 25. Said lowerends 25 or 2tA may have a Standard type/of strengthening metal wire bead 28 or 28 incorporated therein. In accordance with my invention, I provide an annular center wall 36 or 30 pro jecting downwardly centrally of the tread surface 32 or 32 thereof, to the rim, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, or to below the rim as 'in the embodiment shown in Fig. l. I construct my improved center wall with a flexible upper portion 34 or 34' and a rigid lower portion 36 or 36', and the lower end thereof is preferably provided with suitable locking means 38 or 38' adapted to be engaged with the annular locking means 20 or 20' in said rim I6 or I6', to maintain said lower end 36 or- 36 in rigid position centrally of said rim I6 or I6 in use, providing complementary hemi-cylindrical annular cushioning air chambers 40 or 49 0n each side of said center wall 30 or 30. The lower portion 36 or 36 of said center wall may be made rigid in any suitable manner. It may be made of rigid hard rubber, as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, or reinforced with metal such as by the metal bead 42 extending upwardly therein as in the embodiment shown in Fig. l. I have shown one type of locking means 38 for the lower end 36 of said center wall 38 in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and one of a substantially different type in the embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which will now be described in detail for each embodiment, with the modifications of the rim necessary therefor. In all embodiments, the individual heini-cylindrical tire chamber portions 40 or 40 on each side of said center wall are provided with the valves @d or 44'.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. l, they have the I valve ducts 46 discharging therefrom into the common duct 48 leading to the common master valve 59, whereas in the embodiment shown in Fig.'2, separate valves 44 are provided for each individual chamber M3. 44 in the embodiments shown are attached to the tubes 49 or 49 for each individual chamber 46 or 40.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle wheel comprises the centrally split annular tire rim I6, having the flat portion I'I on the upper end thereof for abutment of the flat lower end of the tire against. Said split rim I6 has the usual inner portion I having the inner tire wall abutting annular lip or flange 52 which may have an annular groove 53 on the inner surface thereof for receiving the clincher bead 54 on the clincher tire shown in the embodiment shown in Fig. l, projecting upwardly from the inner end of said rim I6, the flat tire receiving portion 55 and the downwardly projecting web disc 56 projectingdownwardly from the outer end thereof, having a center portion 58 adapted to be mounted on the axle either through the brake drum or axle hub, as desired. Said web disc 56 has an annular groove 60 on the outer edge thereof immediately below said upper end and transversely spaced bolt holes 62 below said groove. The rim outer portion 64 also has the flat portion 66 on the upper end thereof for abutment of the fiat lower end 26 of the outer tire wall ZAthereagainst, an outer tire wall abutting annular lip 68 projecting upwardly from the outer end thereof, having the groove 'I0 to receive the annular clincher bead 12 on the outer edge of the tire outer wall 24 and a short annular web 14 projecting downwardly a distance from the inner end of said fiat rim portion 66, having a cooperating aligned annular groove 'I6 on the inner edge thereof immediately below its upper end, and is also provided with Said valves 44 or the circumferentially spaced bolt holes 18 alignable with said bolt holes 62 in said web disc 56. As means to detachably secure said outer rim portion to said inner rim portion, namely, by securing the webs thereof together, I provide the bolts projecting outwardly through said aligned holes 62 and 18, having the nuts 82 on the outer ends thereof to detachably clamp said web portions together, thus detachably securing said outer rim portion 64 to said inner rim portion 5|. In this embodiment, the annular center wall 30 of the tire projects downwardly as at 83 between the spaced flat upper ends 55 and 66 of said inner and outer rim portions 5I and 64 into the space 84 between the spaced fiat upper ends of said rim portions and has a. cylindrical projection 86, comprising aligned hemi-cylindrical beads on each side of said center wall extension 83 fitting between the grooves 60 and 16 in the Webs 56 and 14 of said inner and outer rim portions 5I and 64. In the embodiment shown, said cylindrical portion may also be provided with the strengthening annular bead 88 or the equivalent thereof.

The embodiment shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is generally of the same construction. In this embodiment, the wheel comprises a centrally split annular tire rim I6', having an inner portion 5|', having a flat annular portion 55 on the upper end thereof for abutment of the fiat lower end 26' of an inner tire side wall 24 thereagainst, an inner tire wall abutting annular lip 52 projecting upwardly from the inner end thereof and a downwardly projecting web disc 58' having a center portion 58 adapted to be rigidly mounted on the axle in the manner aforesaid, having an annular groove 90 at a spaced distance below its upper end, a rim outer portion 64 having the fiat annular portion 66 for abutment of the at lower end 26 of an outer tire side wall 24' thereagainst, an outer tire wall abutting annular lip 68 projecting upwardly from the outer end thereof and a short annular web 14 projecting downwardly a distance from the inner end thereof terminating in an inwardly projecting annular lip 92 adapted to iit in the annular groove 90 in said inner rim web portion 56' and providing an annular space 84 between said webs and split rim portions. In this embodiment, I provide a flat locking ring 94 comprising quarter circular sections 96 for assembly purposes having the lower end abutting said inwardly projecting annular lip 92 and the upper end 98 projecting centrally of said rim between said inner and outer rim portions 5|' and 64', and means to clamp said rim portions together with said annular ring 94 having its lower portion 95 interposed in the space 84 between said rim portions 5 I and 64. In this embodiment, the center wall 30 of the tire has the lower rim abutting flat lower end |00, in the preferred embodiment shown projecting outwardly as at |02 at each side thereof, and having an annular supporting bead |04 in each lateral extension |02 thereof and a central annular channel |06 extending upwardly from the lower end thereof, receiving the upper end 98 of said annular ring 94. In this embodiment, the means to clamp the outer rim web portion 14 to the inner rim web disc portion 56 also comprises the bolts 80 extending through suitable aligned circumferentially spaced holes 62' and I8 in said web portions and having the nuts 82' on the outer ends thereof clamping said web portions and ring portion together.

The bolts 80 also pass through suitable holes |08 therefor in the inner portions of said annular locking ring 94 to rigidly clamp the ring in position.

I employ the terms inner and outer in referring to the tire and wheel, with inner signifying the portion adjacent the vehicle and outer signifying the portion away from the vehicle.

I employ the words upper and lower, upwardly and downwardly, etc., relative to the radial position of the parts of the tire, upper signifying at a greater radial distance and lower signifying at a less radial distance in accordance with common automobile parlance, instead of their more cumbersome more accurate terms, and despite the fact that the relative portions change on revolution of the tire, which, however, due to the fact that all parts of the tire are similar, makes no difference.

It is apparent that I have provided a novel type of tire and wheel construction with the advantages described above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specic embodiments shown and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A pneumatic tire for use with rims having annular locking means substantially centrally thereof, comprising an annular cylindrical casing having arcuate side walls terminating in fiat rim abutting lower ends and an annular center wall projecting downwardly substantially centrally of the tread surface thereof to the rim, having a exible upper portion and a rigid lower portion for at least half its lower length and having annular locking means on the lower end thereof adapted to be engaged with the annular locking means in said rim to maintain said lower end in rigid position centrally of said rim providing complementary substantially hemi-cylindrical annular cushioning air chambers on each side thereof.

2. A pneumatic tire, comprising an annular cylindrical hollow casing having arcuate side walls terminating in nat rim abutting ends and an annular central wall projecting downwardly substantially centrally of said tread surface to below said side walls, dividing said hollow interior into two chambers each alone capable of supporting the vehicle, said center wall having a flexible upper portion and a substantially rigid lower portion for at least half its lower length, and having an annular cylindrical portion below said side walls spaced from the lower end thereof.

3. In combination, a tire rim having annular locking means centrally thereof and a pneumatic tire comprising an annular cylindrical casing having arcuate side walls terminating in flat rim abutting lower ends and an annular center wall projecting downwardly substantially centrally of the tread surface thereof to the rim, having a flexible upper portion and a rigid lower portion for at least half its lower length and having annuM lar locking means on the lower end thereof adapted to be engaged with the annular locking means in said rim to maintain said lower end in rigid position contrally of said rim providing complementary substantially hemi-cylindrical annular cushioning air chambers on each side thereof.

4. In combination, a tire rim having an annular locking means centrally thereof and a pneumatic tire comprising an annular cylindrical hollow casing having arcuate side walls terminating in hat rim abutting ends and an annular central wall projecting downwardly substantially centrally of said tread surface to below said side walls, dividing said hollow interior into two chambers each alone capable of supporting the vem hicle, said center wall having a flexible upper portion and a substantially rigid lower portion, for at least half its lower length and having an annular cylindrical portion below said side walls spaced from the lower end thereof.

JOHN B. DES ROSIERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,404,532 Lehr Jan. 24, 1922 1,679,444 Pagenhart Aug. 7, 1928 2,045,860 Knapp June 30, 1936 2,078,015 Perkins Apr. 20, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 10,809 Great Britain 1897 820.459 France Aug. 2, 1937 

